


Best of All Worlds

by aspiringenjolras



Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Alternate Reality, Gen, M/M, Qcard (one sided), best of both worlds
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 00:25:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 745
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6493708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspiringenjolras/pseuds/aspiringenjolras
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An ongoing series of one-shots that explore Picard and Q's relationship in various alternate universes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Best of All Worlds

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Trek fic. I've been RPing Picard for about five months now, and a lot of these scenarios are actually taken from plots between me and the lovely [quidproq](http://quidproq.tumblr.com) on tumblr.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This particular universe derives from canon in the fact that the Enterprise crew does not manage to rescue Picard. I have always been of the belief that Q is involved in the "Best of Both Worlds" story, even though we never see him on screen. How could he not be?
> 
> This fic was originally going to be just this story, in which case I was going to write more chapters following this particular universe. But as it is, I have a different plan now. You'll just have to wait and see.

If the Federation had encountered the Borg in 1000 years, what would’ve been different? What about 10,000? 

I know everything there is to know in the universe. Speculation has never been my forte, simply because I know how pointless it is. I know everything that has been, and will be. What  _ might  _ have been doesn’t matter. 

Still, oftentimes I choose to ignore the boundless knowledge of what’s to come. Constant existence can get boring after a few million years, and it’s more entertaining to live life in a state of uncertainty. 

Actually, I do it because recently I’ve found that being all-knowing doesn’t mean you can save the world. Mind you, I’ve never particularly been interested in saving the world. Even if everything else dies, I go on. I used to think that was good enough for me.

Despite being omnipotent, more often than not, I find myself watching helplessly. Helplessly watching the one thing I love 

I used to observe wars and mass destruction without batting an eye. I could witness the deaths of whole civilizations and not care. I could, if I wanted to. I could stop a lot of things from happening. But I don’t. 

And then, when everything came crashing down like a burning asteroid, I could do nothing but watch as the one thing I love in this whole universe was ripped from me. In front of my own eyes, he disappeared, and I was powerless to do anything about it.

* * *

 

Usually when I interfere with the  _ Enterprise _ , I have a reason. Even if their primitive brains can’t see it, I know what I’m doing. And usually, they thank me for it. Even introducing them to the Borg was important.

...Maybe.

It was my own stubbornness that kept me believing Jean-Luc Picard would somehow make it out of that battle alive and human. For once, I refused to admit the truth about what was to come. And when it happened, it was too late to warn him, or try to protect him. 

As he was being assimilated by the Borg, I stood invisible beside him. The Q aren’t empaths by any means, but we can read minds, and I could hear his cries of despair as the humanity was drained from him. I couldn’t stop what was happening, but I did give him something. The chance for one more human act. Humans love their displays of emotion, and so I slipped just enough humanity back into him for him to express whatever he was feeling. When a single tear slipped from his eye, I left. I don’t  know what I expected, but I couldn’t bear to see him cry.

As the  _ Enterprise  _ crew began making their battle plans, I stood on the bridge behind newly appointed Captain Riker. I watched them grieve, and I was grieving too. I was as powerless to help him as they were. Still I hoped that they would come up with some brilliant rescue plan. But there was only so much their puny human minds could dream up. 

I never expected them to just give up. I wanted to scream at them, to grab William Riker by the shoulders and shake him with all the force of the Continuum. But showing myself would mean having to answer questions I didn’t have the answer to. So I could only watch as Riker gave the order to fire everything they had on the Borg ship. And for once, they were really ready. I knew they could destroy it. 

Small explosions lit up sections of the Borg cube, and I watched. I watched as hundreds of Borg were blown to pieces. Any could have been Locutus. But they weren’t. I could only imagine what Jean-Luc was thinking. He must’ve been so scared. I looked ahead. An explosion about to happen, one that would kill him.  

Time slowed down for me. I looked back on everything that had happened since I met Jean-Luc. And then I looked ahead. History wrote that Jean-Luc Picard died. And why not? No one ever saw him again. So what did it matter if a single omnipotent entity stole him away instead?

I snapped my fingers, and the Borg ship froze in time. I found him standing alone, staring out at the sky. I put my hand on his arm, and he turned to look at me, his face expressionless. 

“Time to go.” 

The explosions continued, but Picard and I were far away.                 


End file.
